Advice and Tools
For every step of your Ostomy Journey
SASS aims to advocate and align the standard of Stoma care and services across South Africa which will be applicable to both the private and public sectors.
Ostomy Care
Tips and Tricks
The South African Society of Stomates (SASS) is a Non-profit organization formed by Ostomates across Southern Africa to facilitate a “holistic” approach to ostomy patient care by bridging the gap between the private and public sectors whilst advocating for the rights of fellow ostomates throughout the country.
SASS VALUE STATEMENT
SASS is dedicated to advocating for the rights and well-being of ostomates across South Africa. We strive to bridge the gap between private and public healthcare sectors, ensuring that all ostomates receive the highest standard of care.
Our mission is to provide comprehensive support, education, and resources to empower ostomates and their families, helping them navigate their new normal with confidence and dignity. By collaborating closely with clinicians and healthcare professionals, we ensure that our community receives expert care and guidance.
Aligning with global standards set by The International Ostomy Association (IOA), we aim to foster a community where every ostomate feels supported, informed, and valued.
Featured Topics
For Living with a Colostomy, Ileostomy or Urostomy
Help us achieve
What we set out to achieve with YOUR help
GET EDUCATED
Medically reviewed surgery-specific information. Making sure you have access to the best possible care. Ostomy pouch management tips, diet & nutrition, skincare, sexuality, travel tips and more!
FEEL SUPPORTED
Support to you & your family whilst you transition into your new normal. You will have access to a local peer support group, where you can get answers to questions, or connect with our Facebook community.
BE AN ADVOCATE
We aim to advocate the standard of Stoma care across private and public sectors, whilst aligning with the global standards set out by The International Ostomy Association (IOA).
Register now! Do not miss your chance to be inspired at SASS 2026
Register today - www.sass.2026.co.za
#StomaNurseExcellenceAwards #SASS2026 #StrongerTogether #StomaNurse #OstomyCare #NursingExcellence #PatientCare #HealthcareHeroes #CompassionInCare #SouthAfrica #ostomychallenge #ostomyevent #sassconference
Meet Our Featured Speaker | PhD© Thandeka Mhlanga
The South African Society of Stomates (SASS) is honored to welcome – PhD© Thandeka Mhlanga, Chief Dietitian at SMU from Gqeberha to the SASS 2026 National Conference.
This accomplished Dietitian holds a BSc in Dietetics and a master’s degree in Dietetics from Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University. Currently a Chief Dietitian and Clinical Coordinator at Livingstone Tertiary Hospital, she brings extensive clinical, leadership and student-training experience and is also pursuing her PhD at SMU.
Presentation:
Nutrition, Output & Wound Healing. What you and wound nurses need to know but aren`t always told.
Join PhD© Thandeka Mhlanga as she explores protein and micronutrient deficiencies in non-healing wounds. Dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, and relation to delayed wound healing. When and how to involve dieticians effectively. Nursing-led monitoring strategies as part of the multidisciplinary team. High-output stomas/ open abdomen with fistulas, and their impact on skin and wound healing.
2–3 October 2026
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, Woodstock, Cape Town
Register today: www.sass2026.co.za
#SASS2026 #StrongerTogether #ColorectalCancer #CancerAdvocacy #GlobalColonCancerAssociation #HealthcareLeadership #PatientCentredCare #CancerAwareness #HealthcareInnovation #SouthAfrica
Meet Our Featured Speaker | CNS Roelene Faihst
The South African Society of Stomates (SASS) is honored to welcome – Roelene Faihst, Clinical Nurse Specialist, Lipeodema and Lymphoedema specialist in Cape Town to the SASS 2026 National Conference.
A Registered Nurse, Advanced Wound Care Practitioner and internationally certified Lymphoedema and Lipoedema Management Therapist, specializing in chronic oedema, lymphatic disorders, vascular conditions and wound healing. As Founder of Lymph Draining Plus and a Board Member of LAOSA, she brings extensive clinical expertise and a strong commitment to evidence-based, multidisciplinary lymphatic care and improved patient outcomes..
Presentation:
Clinical Challenges and Therapeutic Strategies of Lipoedema and Lymphoedema in wound care
Join Roelene Faihst as she explores the complex relationship between lymphatic
dysfunction, chronic oedema and wound healing. Delegates will gain an understanding of how lymphoedema and lipoedema contribute to tissue changes, delayed healing and recurrent wounds, while examining practical, evidence-based approaches to assessment and management within the multidisciplinary wound care setting.
2–3 October 2026
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, Woodstock, Cape Town
Register today: www.sass2026.co.za
#SASS2026 #StrongerTogether #ColorectalCancer #CancerAdvocacy #GlobalColonCancerAssociation #HealthcareLeadership #PatientCentredCare #CancerAwareness #HealthcareInnovation #SouthAfrica
Meet Our Featured Speaker | CNS Nicci Peterson
The South African Society of Stomates (SASS) is honored to welcome – CNS Nicci Peterson, Clinical Nurse Specialist, Stomaltherapist, and Clinical Educator from Cape Town to the SASS 2026 National Conference.
A Clinical Nurse Specialist, highly experienced Stomaltherapist and clinical leader with more than 2 decades of specialist experience, she has played a significant role in advancing stomaltherapy education, clinical practice and multidisciplinary patient care in the Western Cape. An internationally recognized educator and keynote speaker, she has presented at the WCET Biennial Congress and other international forums, while mentoring medical students and healthcare professionals in stoma care, fistula management, convexity and complex wound management.
Presentation:
Advanced dressing selection in a contaminated, high-moisture environment, managing SSI with exudate, and effluent.
Join CNS Nicci Peterson as she explores managing wounds under an ostomy appliance and protecting healing wounds from contamination while maintaining appliance adhesion. Golden question: Post-surgical midline incision with stoma 2/3cm away – which to do first? Adapting advanced wound products for peristomal use. Addressing SSI and Stoma leaks in a multidisciplinary team.
2–3 October 2026
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, Woodstock, Cape Town
Register today: www.sass2026.co.za
#SASS2026 #StrongerTogether #ColorectalCancer #CancerAdvocacy #GlobalColonCancerAssociation #HealthcareLeadership #PatientCentredCare #CancerAwareness #HealthcareInnovation #SouthAfrica
An integrated scientific programme designed to reflect the realities of clinical practice, bridging surgical insight, nursing expertise, rehabilitation, nutrition, and psychosocial care.
Explore two days of education, innovation and collaboration featuring national and international faculty, multidisciplinary learning opportunities, conference highlights and networking events.
Register today - www.sass.2026.co.za
#StomaNurseExcellenceAwards #SASS2026 #StrongerTogether #StomaNurse #OstomyCare #NursingExcellence #PatientCare #HealthcareHeroes #CompassionInCare #SouthAfrica
#ostomychallenge #ostomyevent #sassconference
Meet Our Featured Speaker | CNS Leonie van Wyk
The South African Society of Stomates (SASS) is honored to welcome – CNS Leonie van Wyk, Clinical Nurse Specialist, Stomaltherapist, and Advanced Wound Care Practitioner from Cape Town to the SASS 2026 National Conference.
An experienced Stomaltherapist and Wound Care Nurse with an extensive clinical background in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, she has developed specialized expertise in the management of complex wounds, pressure injuries, lower-leg ulcers and diabetic foot ulcers. With advanced wound-care training from the University of Toronto and the University of the Free State, she combines hands-on clinical expertise with professional education and has contributed as a speaker and organizer within the South African wound and burn-care community.
Presentation:
Wound and stoma care in high-risk populations with a focus on Age, Diabetes, Obesity, Oncology, and Palliative care.
Join CNS Leonie van Wyk as she explores managing in wound and ostomy patients: Frail & Elderly patients. Obesity and wound failure. Diabetes and microvascular compromise. Oncology patients and radiation-related skin damage. Palliative wound care with comfort-focused approaches.
2–3 October 2026
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, Woodstock, Cape Town
Register today: www.sass2026.co.za
#SASS2026 #StrongerTogether #ColorectalCancer #CancerAdvocacy #GlobalColonCancerAssociation #HealthcareLeadership #PatientCentredCare #CancerAwareness #HealthcareInnovation #SouthAfrica
Meet Our Featured Speaker | Mr. Pierre Matthee
The South African Society of Stomates (SASS) is honored to welcome – Mr. Pierre Matthee, Private Social Worker from Johannesburg to the SASS 2026 National Conference.
A private clinical social worker specializing in psychotherapy, with a master’s degree in social work (Health Care), cum laude, and advanced training in end-of-life and bereavement care. With a special interest in Narrative Therapy, he is passionate about supporting patients and families facing medical challenges, loss and life-changing experiences with compassion and dignity.
Presentation:
Psychological impact of stoma formation, sexuality, body image, and intimacy after surgery.
Join Mr. Pierre Matthee as he explores Sigma, Cultural beliefs, Religion e.g. high divorce rate in Muslim ostomy communities, etc., …health literacy, …. accepting / coping / rejecting ostomy and self-care, dealing with the trauma of the diagnosis/ “death sentence”, life altering surgery, unknown future outlooks, insecurities/ relationships, can I have sex, marriage, can I get pregnant, bullying, who and how to TELL that I have a stoma?
2–3 October 2026
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, Woodstock, Cape Town
Register today: www.sass2026.co.za
#SASS2026 #StrongerTogether #ColorectalCancer #CancerAdvocacy #GlobalColonCancerAssociation #HealthcareLeadership #PatientCentredCare #CancerAwareness #HealthcareInnovation #SouthAfrica
36 NOMINEES. ONE NIGHT. 3 AWARDS. 🏆
They have already earned something that matters: the recognition of the people whose lives they have touched.
Now, the countdown is on.
On one very special night at SASS 2026, all 35 nominees will be celebrated for the care, compassion, and difference they bring to ostomy care.
But only 3 will take home the awards.
Who will they be?
The patient stories have been shared.
The nominations have been counted.
The nominees have been confirmed.
Now we wait...
30 DAYS TO GO.
Get ready for a night of recognition, inspiration, and celebration of the nurses who make a difference.
All judging decisions are final, and no negotiations or appeals will be entertained.
#SASS2026 #NursesAwards #StomaNursing #OstomyCare #PatientVoice #NursingMatters #StrongerTogether
SASS Blog
What has been happening at SASS
SASS Stoma Nurse Excellence Awards 2026
Honouring Nurses Who Change Lives Behind every ostomate’s journey is often a nurse who made an impossible moment feel manageable.A nurse who provided dignity during uncertainty.A nurse who offered reassurance, compassion, education, and hope. The SASS Stoma Nurse Excellence Awards were created to recognise and celebrate stoma nurses who go above and beyond in supporting […]
SASS2026 Conference: Multidisciplinary Ostomy Care Conference in South Africa
The South African Society of Ostomates (SASS) will host the SASS2026 Conference at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Cape Town, bringing together healthcare professionals involved in the care and rehabilitation of people living with a stoma. The conference is designed as a multidisciplinary clinical platform, supporting knowledge-sharing across nursing, physiotherapy, biokinetics, dietetics, occupational therapy, and […]
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